Piling



Aug. 30, 1938. R. s. A. DOUGHERTY FILING Filed June 30, 1937 Patented Aug. 30, 1938 UNITED STATES PI LING Robert S. A. Dougherty, Bethlehem, Pa., assignor to Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 30, 1937, Serial No. 151,226

13 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in piling sections for use for constructing docks, coffer dams, retaining walls, etc., and more particularly to the improvement in interlocked piling sections.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide piling sections with novel interlocks which permit easy assembly of the piling but which are comparatively inflexible when subjected to twisting stresses.

Another object of my invention is to provide a Z-piling section with a novel interlock which has sufiicient clearance between the interlocks to prevent binding during the driving thereof and at the same time has only a limited degree of rotation.

Another object of my invention is to provide piling sections with a novel structure adjacent the interlocks which will add additional strength to the interlocks.

The novel features of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description and claims taken with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a plan view of one of the piling sections including a portion of an adjacent piling in interlocked relation therewith;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan disclosing the manner in which the interlock is intended to function; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan disclosing the interlock and the structure of the sections of the piling adjacent the interlock.

Referring to the drawing, I show a piling section I6, which is Z-shaped in cross section, and a portion of a similar section l6 interlocked therewith. The sections 16 comprise a web portion l1 and oppositely disposed flanges IBand l 9, respectively. The flanges l8 and [9 are enlarged at 20 and M, respectively, where they merge with the respective edges of the web portions so as to add additional strength to the structure at these points. The flanges l8 and I9 comprise enlarged portions 22 and 23, respectively, which are substantially triangular in cross section, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The extreme edge of the flange I8 is provided with an oval interlock portion 25 which merges into a reduced neck portion 26 and the neck portion 26 comprises opposed curved portions 21 and 28 which merge into the enlarged portion 22 substantially midway the extremities of the leg of the triangle, as plainly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The outer edge of the flange I9 is provided with a pair of fingers 29 and 30 which merge into the enlarged triangular portion 23 adjacent the respective ends of the leg 38. A recess 3! is provided intermediate the pair of fingers 29 and 30 to receive the oval portion 25 of the adjacent pile. The side entrance to the recess 3| is narrower than the recess 3| so that the oval portion 25 will not pass therethrough but is of sumcient width to receive the neck portion 26. The face 32 of the finger 39 is substantially at right line to the face of the flange l9 and parallel to the face 33 of the enlarged triangular portion 22 when the adjacent piles are in their normal assembled condition as shown in Fig. 1.

By having the portions of the interlocked piles adjacent their interlocks of triangular formation strength is added to the piles where the greatest strains occur due to the driving of the piles and also due to the twisting strains which tend to distort the piles during the driving thereof. When the Z-sections l6 are assembled, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, bases 35 and 36, respectively, of the triangular sections 22 and 23 normally lie in the same plane and their respective legs 31 and 38 are substantially parallel to each other and at right lines to their bases. Therefore the portions 22 and 23 of the piles are substantially right triangular portions.

As it is necessary to provide clearance between the interlocks to prevent the binding of the piles during the driving thereof, there is a tendency for the piles to rotate about the interlock from the position shown in full lines to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and when ordinary interlocks are used which are not provided with means to limit the rotation of the pile sections, the twisting, etc., due to their continued rotation will open the finger surrounding the interlock on the adjacent pile and permit the piles to become separated. My improved interlock is prevented from rotation beyond the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 through the cooperation of the face of the oval portion 25 adjacent the curved portion 21 with the inner face of the finger 29, the cooperaton of the portion 28 with the inner face of the finger 30 and the cooperation of the face portion 33 with the face portion 32 and therefore the danger of the piling sections rotating so as to open the finger 29, which would permit the piling sections to separate, is obviated. The interlock is equally effective when assembled with the finger 30 within the recess adjacent the curved portion 21 and the finger 29 within the recess adjacent the curved portion 28.

From the foregoing it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that I have devised an improved pile section which is novel in construction and which is easily assembled.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A piling section comprising a web, and flanges integral with the opposite edges of said web, said flanges comprising enlarged triangular portions spaced from the marginal edges of said flanges, each of said triangular portions comprising a leg disposed at an angle to the face of the flange, one of said flanges having a face portion oval in cross section along its edge merging into a neck portion to form one member of an interlock and said neck portion being connected to the leg of the triangular portion intermediate its extremities.

2. A piling section comprising a web and flanges integral with the opposite edges of said Web, said flanges comprising enlarged triangular portions spaced from the marginal edges of said flanges, each of said triangular portions comprising a leg disposed at an angle to the face of the flange, one of said flange portions having a pair of spaced fingers extending from the leg of its triangular portion and forming an oval recess therebetween to provide an interlock member, said fingers having converging outer ends spaced from each other to provide a restricted entrance to the oval recess.

3. A piling section comprising a web and flanges integral with the opposite edges of said web, said flanges comprising enlarged triangular portions spaced from the marginal edges of said flanges, each of said triangular portions comprising a leg disposed at an angle to the face of the flange, one of said flanges having a face portion oval in cross section along its edge merging into a neck portion to form one member of an interlock, said neck portion being connected to the leg of the triangular portion intermediate its extremities, and the other of said flanges having a pair of spaced fingers extending from the leg of its triangular portion and forming an oval recess therebetween and providing an interlock member, said fingers having converging outer ends in spaced relation to each other to provide a restricted side entrance to the oval recess.

4. A piling structure comprising a plurality of sections having interlocks adjacent the outer edges thereof and enlarged portions adjacent said interlocks, said interlocks comprising a tongue adjacent the outer edge of one of the sections and a groove adjacent the outer edge of the adjacent section receptive of said tongue, said tongue comprising a head portion, oval in cross section, and a reduced neck portion and said groove being of substantially the same contour as the head portion of the tongue and having a reduced entrance thereto, and faces substantially at right lines to the faces of the flanges of the pile sections adjacent the interlock having a clearance therebetween to permit easy assembly of the sections and to provide means to cooperate with the interlock to limit the rotation of the sections relative to each other.

5. A piling section comprising a flange having an enlarged portion with a tongue at the outer edge thereof adapted to enter a groove of an adjacent piling section when assembled therewith, said tongue comprising a head portion, oval in cross section, and a reduced neck portion, said neck portion merging into the enlarged portion of the flange intermediate the inner and outer faces of the flange.

6. A pair of piling sections each comprising a web member, a pair of oppositely disposed flange members extending at the extremities of the web member respectively, one of said flange members of one of said sections having a pair of fingers and one of said flange members of the other of said sections having a head oval in cross section and a pair of grooves receptive of said fingers, one of said fingers and its complementary groove having opposed substantial fiat portions to e gage each other and to cooperate with the oval head to limit the rotation of said section.

'7. A pair of piling sections each comprising a Web member, a pair of oppositely disposed flange members extending at the extremities of the web member respectively, one of said flange members of one of said sections having a pair of fingers and one of said flange members of the other of said sections having a head oval in cross section and a pair of grooves receptive of said fingers, one of said fingers and its complementary groove having opposed substantial flat portions substantially at right angles to its respective flange to engage each other to limit the rotation of said sections.

8. A piling structure comprising a plurality of sections having interlocks adjacent the outer edges thereof and enlarged portions adjacent said interlocks, said interlocks comprising a tongue adjacent the outer edge of one of the sections and a groove adjacent the outer edge of the adjacent section receptive of said tongue, said tongue comprising a head portion oval in cross section and a reduced neck portion and said roove being of substantially the same contour as the head portion of the tongue and having a reduced entrance thereto, said sections having marginal edge faces normally disposed in a plane substantially at right angles to the surfaces of said sections and in spaced relation to each other to permit easy assembly of the section and to provide means to cooperate with the interlock to limit the rotation of the sections relative to each other.

9. A piling section comprising a web portion, flanged portions and interlocks, said flange portions terminating in triangular formations, each of said triangular formations having its base in a common plane with one face of the remainder of the flange portion and having its leg disposed at right angle to said base and interlocking means projecting from the leg of one of the triangular portions substantially midway the extremities of said leg and from the leg of the other triangular portion adjacent the extremities of said leg.

10. A piling section comprising a web portion, flange portions and interlocks, one of said flange portions terminating in an enlarged triangular formation having its base in a common plane with the outer face of the remainder of the flange portion and having its leg disposed substantially at right angle to said base, and interlocking means projecting from the leg of said triangular portion substantially midway of the extremities of said leg.

11. A piling section comprising a web portion, flange portions and interlocks, one of said flange portions terminating in an enlarged triangular formation having its base in a common plane with the outer face of the remainder of the flange portion and having its leg disposed substantially at right angle to said base, and interlocking means projecting from the leg of said triangular portion substantially midway of the extremities of said leg, the other of said flange portions terminating in an enlarged triangular formation having its base in a common plane with the outer face of the remainder of the flange portion and having its'leg disposed substantially at right angle to said base and interlocking means project ing from the leg of said triangular portion adjacent the extremities of the leg portion.

12. In combination with piling sections having interlocks adjacent the edges thereof and enlarged portions of triangular formation adjacent said interlocks, said interlocks comprising a tongue oval in cross section projecting from a leg of the triangular portion of one section substantially midway the extremities of said leg and spaced fingers projecting from a leg of the triangular portion of the adjacent section on opposite sides of said tongue.

13. In combination with piling sections having interlocks adjacent the edges thereof and en-- larged portions of triangular formation adjacent said interlocks, said interlocks comprising means projecting from a leg of the triangular portion of one section substantially midway the extremities of said leg and spaced fingers projecting from a leg of the triangular portion of the adjacent section on opposite sides of said tongue, said means comprising a head portion oval in cross section and a neck portion having recesses of substantially the same shape on opposite sides thereof receptive of the spaced fingers whereby said piling sections may be assembled with either of said fingers in either of said recesses.

ROBERT S. A. DOUGHER'IY. 

